Energy and automotive industries will be brought together by the newly-formed Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce to plan for the changes needed as EV use rises.
The taskforce will be facilitated by the LowCVP (Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership) and has been created under the Government's Road to Zero strategy which commits to all new cars and vans sold in the UK to have zero emission capability by 2040.
The vast majority of these vehicles are expected to be fully or partly electrified.
The objective of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce is to put engaging the electric vehicle user at the heart of preparing the electricity system for the mass take-up of electric vehicles.
It aims to ensure that costs and emissions are as low as possible, and opportunities for vehicles to provide grid services are capitalised upon for the benefit of the system, energy bill payers and EV owners.
Phil New, chief executive of the Energy Systems Catapult and chairman of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, said: “Ensuring the electricity system captures the benefits from the rapid expansion of electric vehicles is a critical challenge for both the transport and energy sectors.
“Working with industry, Energy Systems Catapult technical expertise will help ensure the whole energy system – from charging points to how we balance the grid – works to make life straightforward for energy consumers and EV drivers.”
The Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce has already held a number of meetings and has established an agreed work programme and five initial work packages.
Jesse Norman, electric vehicles minister, added: “The UK is a world leader in the low emission and electric vehicle industries, and initiatives like the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce keep us at the forefront of this technology revolution.
“Bringing together government, automotive and energy sectors will help to ensure that EVs become an integrated part of the UK energy system, and infrastructure upgrades can be planned in an efficient and sustainable way.”
The launch members of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce are:
- Automotive Council
- BEAMA
- Energy Systems Catapult
- Energy Networks Association
- Energy UK
- ITS University of Leeds
- Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP)
- National Grid
- Ofgem
- Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV)
- Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
- TechUK
- UK Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (UK EVS)
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Andrew Ryan is the features editor at Fleet News. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has specialised in the fleet industry for the past 12.
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